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State visits should not be frowned upon. They are the strongest expression of friendly bilateral relations between two nations and characterized by official public ceremonies. They are an affirmation of the decades-old bonds between two sovereign states from which relations are cemented and developed further.

I am deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the strong earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria. As I write this column, the death toll has already passed 28,000 per the report of the BBC. The death toll regrettably includes two Filipinos who died as the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake violently shook Türkiye where they work. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has expressed his commiseration to the families of the victims. The President also reported that embassy officials in Türkiye are working “tirelessly to verify any and all information on Filipinos affected by the quake,” as well as attend to the needs of 34 evacuees composed of Filipinos, their spouses, and children who are in Ankara.

Have you ever taken a vacation in a place that is rural, rustic and very provincial? You wake up to the crowing of the rooster, you have freshly opened coconut juice for breakfast, and you just lounge around all day in a place where time seems to be so, so slow. That is the idyllic, sometimes too romanticized picture of country living. But after a few days living in the countryside, you begin to miss the convenience of city life.